Touch partially works (Only when swiping horizonally)

An iPhone XS Max's touch screen only works when swiping horizontally and only the middle of the screen work, it can only slide / dismiss notifications and slide the SOS emergency call slider, while tapping and sliding up and down sometimes (very rarely) works. Swiping on the higher and lower portion of the screen does not work.

The owner forgot what happend when the touch issue manifested, they simply upgraded to a new phone and it was kept in storage till now. The owner simply wants the data to be recovered, especially the photos.

What is the possible issue and what are their options?